美国学生世界地理教材 第217期:动物王国(4)

 I have a peculiar¹ stick and I often ask people to guess what it is made of. 我有一根奇特的棍子，我常常让人猜它是什么做的，

They usually say "horn" or "hard rubber." for it will bend. 一般都回答是用“动物角”或“硬橡胶”做的，因为它可以弯曲。

It is really made out of rhinoceros³ hide. 其实它是用犀牛皮做的。

The rhino² has very poor eyesight. 犀牛的视力很差，

His little eyes can hardly see at all. He needs glasses. 它的小眼睛几乎什么都看不见，它需要一副眼镜。

Instead of glasses he has a friend that does his seeing for him. 虽然犀牛没有眼镜，但有一位朋友替代它的眼镜。

This friend is a little bird called arhino bird that rides on his back, does his seeing for him, and warns him of any danger. 这位朋友是一只小鸟，叫“犀牛鸟”，它栖在犀牛背上，为犀牛瞭望，如果有什么危险，它就提醒犀牛。

The elephant is another animal with bad eyesight. 大象是另一种视力较差的动物。

The elephants in Africa are bigger than those in India. 非洲象比印度象大。

In India they hunt elephants to catch them alive. 在印度，人们猎象是要活捉大象。

In Africa they hunt elephants to kill them. 在非洲，人们猎象是要射杀大象。

In India they catch elephants to tame them and put them to work. 在印度，人们捕住大象，是要驯化它们，让它们干活。

In Africa they catch elephants for their tusks⁴, which are teeth sometimes ten feet long. 在非洲，人们捕住大象是为了获取象牙。有的象牙长达10英尺，

Just suppose you had two front teeth as long as that. 假如你有两颗门牙，像象牙一样长，你打算怎么办？

These tusks are ivory⁵ and they make fine piano keys. 这些象牙可做成各种象牙制品，是做钢琴琴键的优质材料。

The ivory business is not, however, as good as it used to be or as bad as it used to be for the elephants, 然而，象牙生意没有以前那么好了，或是对大象来说，情况没有以前那么坏了,

for men have learned to make a kind of ivory out of cotton and other materials. 因为人们已经学会用棉花和其他材料来生产出一种人造象牙。

This takes the place of ivory and comes in many forms called plastics. 这种材料代替了真正的象牙，并有很多类型，都叫做“塑料”。

Plastics are much cheaper than ivory and in many cases much better. 塑料比象牙便宜多了，在很多情况下，比象牙更有用。

Ivory turns yellow and cracks as it gets old, but plastics do not. 象牙日子久了会变黄，还会开裂，然而塑料不会。

But the most curious animals in Africa are the human animals—the Black People. 但是，非洲最好奇的动物是人这种动物——黑人。

They have very funny ideas about beauty, so we think. We have funny ideas, so they think. 在我们看来，他们对美的看法非常古怪。

A white person is all faded out, pale, unhealthy, sickly looking. A black man is a rich, black, coal color. 在黑人眼里，白人的肤色都褪掉了、显得苍白、不健康，看上去像生了病；而黑人的肤色黑得很浓艳，像煤一样。

Our ladies wear rings in their ears. Their ladies wear rings in their noses, where they show better. 白人女子戴耳环，而黑人女子戴鼻环，她们觉得鼻环更好看。

1 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

2 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

3 rhinoceros   

n.犀牛

参考例句：

• The rhinoceros has one horn on its nose.犀牛鼻子上有一个角。
• The body of the rhinoceros likes a cattle and the head likes a triangle.犀牛的形体像牛，头呈三角形。

4 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。